Disclaimer time:
Rumiko Takahashi, Shogagukan, Kitty and Viz Communications own Ranma
1/2. Kosuke Fujishima, Dark Horse Comics and Studio Proteus own Oh! My
Goddess (Ah! Megami-sama).
I'd like to thank my pre-readers for this part:
Dave Menard <deibu_kun@sympatico.ca>
Gary Kleppe <kleppe@mediaone.net>
Slyke <Morsamare@home.com>
Thomas Hackwood <thackwood@mindspring.com>
Corwin (ely7@inter.net.il or corwin@virtuallyjeannie.com)
http://lavender.fortunecity.com/friday/573/anime.html
* Previous chapters can also be found at:
http://members.xoom.com/phu_lam/index.htm
http://home.earthlink.net/~tannim/rfics.html
-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: wog-ch4-ffml.txt
Wrath of Gods
Chapter 4
"Listen, Akane, we'd better split for the time being," Ranma-chan said
seriously to her living shadow.
"Alright. When do we leave?"
Ranma groaned, and shot Akane an annoyed look.
"'We' aren't going anywhere. I'm going back to Tokyo to check on a few
things, while you stay here and train. That's the whole point behind
splitting up, y'know?"
"But Ranma, I'm a mar..."
"...tial artist too. Yadda yadda." Looking into Akane's eyes, Ranma
continued. "Akane, it's still too dangerous for you to go back. You
still haven't found the control you were looking for."
"So I'm supposed to look for my inner center while you risk your life?!"
Akane all but shouted, as lightning danced across her worried features.
"See what I mean?" Ranma said, shaking his head dejectedly. "Akane, you
still have a long way to go before you'll get all of your powers back.
And you know that once you're in control again, you can guard me again
like in the old times."
Akane briefly smiled at that, the energy around her dissipating. Giving
Ranma a curt nod, she replied, "You're right. I... I'll stay here and
work on my powers."
Ranma gave her a lopsided grin, and exclaimed "That's my angel!" before
a thoughtful expression appeared on his face. 'Whoa, deja vu!'
Inwardly, Ranma groaned. While it had been nice to remember more of his
past life, why did those pesky memories chose the most unsuitable
moments to resurface? Shrugging it off for the time being, Ranma put on
a smile once again, before saying goodbye to Akane and heading towards
the nearest train station.
* * *
During his journey on the train, Ranma tried to sort out the mess that
was her mind. While she hadn't outright lied about her reasons for going
to Tokyo, she hadn't been exactly truthful either.
'Demoness's prerogative,' she thought, chuckling, before returning back
to the reason for the trip.
'THE reason is more like it,' Ranma mused, getting serious. She didn't
know why, but she felt a connection to the girl from his dreams, a link
between the both of them that seemed to draw them towards each other.
That girl was real; there was no doubt about it since she'd already met
her sister, so she had to be a part of Ranma's reawakening memories. A
part of Ranma's life.
'What is she to me? I remember we were childhood friends... was it all
there was between us? I remember her laughing at my angel and that was
mean, but I couldn't get angry with her anyway. Or could I?'
'Why were we fighting... were we even fighting each other?' Ranma tried
to remember whether the goddess attacked her then, but all she got were
fragments, too jumbled to sort out.
'Damn. This whole thing doesn't make any sense! There's only one way to
get to the bottom of this, and that's to go and confront her.'
Ranma made herself comfortable, and settled back for the rest of the
trip, deciding to take a nap during the train ride, her questions left
unanswered for the time being. Drawn to Tokyo by the presence of the
girl of her dreams, Ranma silently vowed that she was finally going to
get her answers.
* * *
...Ranma spared a glance at his partner, before returning his gaze to
his target.
"Is this really our 'glorious' assignment?" he asked no one in
particular, shaking his head disbelievingly.
"Let's just finish this quickly and go back, ok?" Akane suggested.
"I'm all for it," Ranma agreed quickly. "The sooner we're done here, the
sooner we can hook up with the Bells."
Hearing that, Akane made a face.
"Aww, do we have to?" she whined. "Belldandy is fine, I guess, but I
just can't stand that hussy!"
"What, Holy Bell?!" Ranma asked, before breaking into fits of laughter.
"What's the matter, Akane, wings envy or something?"
Akane just fumed silently, refusing to make eye contact with the demon.
"It's an angel thing, all right?!" she finally exclaimed, which only
served to increase Ranma's laughter. "Fine, be that way!"
"C'mon, don't be like that," Ranma pleaded after his laughter had
subsided. "I'm sorry, ok?"
"All right." Akane nodded, forgiving him. "You know I can never stay
angry at you."
"Ah, that's my angel!" Ranma exclaimed, clasping her hand and jumping
upwards into a ripple in the air. A few drops of condensed water fell on
the ground on which the demon and his companion had stood but a moment
ago...
* * *
Ranma stepped out of the train, stretching out his limbs as he did so.
He was finally at his destination. Before debarking the train, he'd used
the hot water in its bathroom to change back to male, figuring that she
wouldn't recognize him in his female form. There was always the risk
that the other goddesses would trace him, but Ranma figured that as long
he didn't do any 'demon stuff' like blasting people away, he'd be safe.
Taking a few steps, Ranma mused that it was too bad the train ride had
taken too much of his time.
'There has to be a better method of transportation!' Ranma thought,
determined to try and find it once he'd had his little talk with a
certain goddess.
Briefly musing 'Maybe Akane'll figure it out before I get back?' Ranma
shrugged his shoulders and focused on the task at hand.
'Alright, she's somewhere around here. All I got to do now is find her.'
As Ranma took to the rooftops, he wondered what Belldandy was doing in
Nerima...
*****
The Norn of the Present had been standing at the entrance of the Tendo
Dojo for several minutes, contemplating her course of action. Finding
the place Ranma had lived in up until recently hadn't been all that
difficult, with her knowledge of him. After all, Ranma's personality
wouldn't have been changed much even while he was unaware of his true
heritage. Considering that Urd had seen him in Nerima, apparently on the
way to high school, if the school bags he and his companion had been any
indication, helped narrow down the area.
'Ranma in high school! Probably a sight to behold,' Belldandy thought,
amused. 'What wouldn't I give to see that.'
Her thoughts became serious, when she wished that they could've known
about it all beforehand somehow. Surely, they would've found some other
way to contain the situation, without resorting to such desperate means
than... killing him.
Killing Ranma. A demon first class, the brightest of his generation.
'Whom am I kidding? They _still_ haven't found a replacement for him!'
But he was much more than that, at least to her. Belldandy wanted to cry
out of frustration at the unfairness of the situation.
'What went wrong?!'
In all her arguments with him, Urd had never actually hated him. In
fact, Belldandy would have sworn the Norn of the Past enjoyed those
encounters, seeming more alive at those times than ever. And Skuld, who
had always followed Ranma around whenever he went! She adored him!
'And she wasn't the only one.'
A bitter laugh escaped Belldandy's mouth, as her mind turned to the good
times, when everything had been right in her world. Ranma had constantly
been chased by a flock of valkyries, goddesses and demonesses, all
fighting for his attention. Ironically enough, the more girls had been
around him, the more panicked the demon appeared to be. Ranma, one of
the few demons not feelings the least bit nervous in Kami-sama's
presence; the same one that declined her Father's offer to become a god,
simply explaining that he was honor bound to work for H, felt threatened
by a bunch of girls!
'Yes, honor was very important to Ranma,' Belldandy mused.
While other demons and quite a lot of gods did their jobs out of their
vain pursuit of vanity, women, or both, Ranma had been different.
Working for his boss and living up to his full potential seemed to be a
reward on its own to him. Belldandy suspected that was the reason H
counted on him as much as she did.
Everyone who knew Ranma had been upset after that final battle, as it
affected them all, some more than others. But... But no one had been as
crushed as she was.
'No one had any right to be!' Belldandy thought fiercely, her features
hardening for a brief moment.
Because she had been the guiltiest of them all, and could never forgive
herself.
Gathering her courage, the goddess knocked on the front door.
* * *
"Hello, may I help you?" a pretty woman, looking slightly younger than
Belldandy, asked after opening the door.
"Yes... No," the goddess stammered. 'I never thought it'd be so hard.'
"I'm sorry, it was a mistake on my part to come," she finally got out,
turning around and beginning to walk away.
"Is it about Ranma?" Kasumi pleasantly asked.
Belldandy stopped in her tracks upon hearing his name. Hanging her head,
she answered 'yes' in a small voice.
"I'm afraid Ranma has gone on a training trip with Akane. If you would
like leave to him a message, I'll make sure he gets it," the eldest
Tendo daughter offered, smiling serenely.
"No, thank you. I was hoping to find him. Would you happen to know where
he is at the moment?" Belldandy asked, hope shining in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, but Ranma and Akane didn't tell us where they were going.
The nice Dr. Tofu came to inform us of their training trip after they
had already left," Kasumi replied with an apologetic voice.
"Thank you once again, Tendo-san," Belldandy said, bowing. "And I hate
to burden you like that, but have a small favor to ask of you."
"Yes, what is it?" Kasumi asked the goddess.
"If..." Belldandy was silent for a few moments, gathering her resolve.
"If others come here asking for Ranma, please don't tell them what
you've just told me."
Seeing the beginning of a frown on Kasumi's face, Belldandy pleaded with
her.
"Please, Tendo-san! It's very important that no one learns of Ranma's
whereabouts, or he'd be in mortal danger!"
Kasumi considered the request. She didn't like the thought of having to
lie to anyone, but on the other hand, she didn't want Ranma to get hurt.
And if someone wanted to hurt Ranma, Akane might get in the way...
Had anyone else asked her to do this, Kasumi would've declined, but than
the woman standing in front of her simply radiated niceness. The eldest
Tendo daughter could see that this was very important to the woman, and
decided to trust her judgement.
Reluctantly nodding her head, Kasumi answered, "All right. I won't
repeat what I've told you to anyone else."
Bowing once again, Belldandy thanked Kasumi and walked away. Staring at
her retreating form for a few moments, Kasumi closed the front door and
turned around, only to bump into Nabiki.
"Hello, sister. Where are you going?" the eldest Tendo daughter asked,
watching her sister put her shoes on.
"Out. I've got some business to take care of."
Flashing her older sister a smile, Nabiki slipped out of the house. Once
outside, she looked for the trail of the woman who had just visited
them. Overhearing most of the conversation, Nabiki was intrigued, to say
the least.
'Was that another fiancee? And why did she look so nervous all the time?
Was she afraid of those other people she mentioned? Come to think of it,
who were those people anyway and how did she know someone wanted to hurt
Ranma?'
As with anything else in Ranma's life, this little ordeal was bound to
explode in his face, sooner or later. It also probably presented a great
financial opportunity.
Nabiki followed the girl down an empty side street, and hid from sight
as she looked around for any signs of pedestrians. Watching from her
hideout, Nabiki was dumbfounded to see the girl touch a pocket mirror
she took out of her pocket, her hand going through it, while strange
facial markings flared on her face.
'What is this, Alice in Wonderland?' Nabiki wondered, frowning, as she
watched the mirror glow with a soft light.
A shout caused both women to look upwards to the nearest roof, and their
eyes widened.
* * *
'There! I found her!' Ranma thought happily, as his gut feeling brought
him towards Belldandy.
Looking at her once more, he frowned. She was about to do that
teleporting trick of hers, and all of his searches today would be in
vain.
Drawing himself to his full height on top of the roof he'd been watching
the goddess from, Ranma shouted, "Belldandy!"
The effect had been instantaneous. Belldandy froze in her tracks, and
turned to look at him, the mirror slowly slipping out of her hands to
crash against the pavement. She whispered his name, almost too quiet
even for his enhanced senses to pick up, as her hand went to cover her
mouth.
Seeing that he'd gotten her attention and that the goddess wasn't going
anywhere, Ranma jumped off the roof, somersaulting in the air to land
gracefully a few meters away from her.
"Hello, Bell-chan," he said, deciding to use the nickname he remembered
giving her from his dreams. "It's been a while."
"Ranma..." Belldandy started speaking with a shaky voice. "It's... It's
really you. You kept your promise after all."
After saying that, Belldandy broke down and sobbed quietly, turning her
head away. Watching her cry was too much for Ranma, who quickly closed
the distance between them and placed his hand on her arm for
reassurance.
As their hands made contact, a sparkle of electricity shot between them.
Ranma was stunned, as more memories became available to him.
Seeing the suddenly thoughtful expression on his face, Belldandy asked
him "You've just remembered something, didn't you?" having relaxed
somewhat after feeling Ranma's hand on her own.
"Yeah, I guess so. It's my earliest memory of you," Ranma replied.
"Really? Can you tell me about it?"
"Well, I seem to remember something about 'capturing winged horsies',
whatever that means..."
Ranma stopped his recollection of his recently reawakened memories at
the sight of a heavy blush on Belldandy's face.
"Huh? Did I say something wrong?" he asked in confusion.
"N-No, not at all," she reassured him. 'Of all the things for him to
remember, why did it have to be _that_?'
"Oh, all right then," Ranma continued. "I think there was also a weird
bridle there somewhere, and..."
"Let's not talk about it now, all right?" Belldandy asked of Ranma,
interrupting him.
"Sure, whatever," he agreed, slightly confused, but deciding to drop the
matter. "So, how have you been?"
Belldandy couldn't help but laugh at that. 'He still has those awful
opening lines. Ranma hasn't changed one bit!'
"You know, you're as pretty as I've remembered you," Ranma chose that
moment to mention, looking away to hide the blush on his face.
"Thank you," Belldandy replied demurely, flushing herself.
A few long moments passed, with neither of them daring to look directly
at the other, in spite of each one having the other's undivided
attention. That was most fortunate for Nabiki, whose gasps at hearing
certain parts of the conversation would've given away her location.
"So... What's a demon like you doing in a place like this?" Belldandy
asked, fiddling with her fingers and flashing Ranma a timid grin at the
end of her question.
Ranma chuckled briefly, before his face became serious.
"I came looking for you, Bell-chan. I need your help."
Belldandy's heart stopped beating for a moment, before resuming its
pace, faster than usual.
"M-My help?" she stuttered.
"Yes. Akane and me got all sorts of weird memories an' all and we don't
know what to do 'bout them. Plus, I think we're being hunted..." Seeing
Belldandy's downcast eyes, Ranma continued sadly. "So... I was right. It
was a feeling more than anything else..."
Grasping both of Belldandy's hands in his, Ranma looked her straight in
the eyes, saying, "Belldandy, I'm sorry 'bout what happened to Urd. I
truly am, an' I know Akane feels the same way. Can't you call this whole
thing off? I'll do anythin', honest!"
Belldandy looked away, a lone tear making its way down her cheek,
breaking Ranma's heart.
"You... you really don't remember what you've done, do you?" she asked
quietly, still not meeting his eyes. When Ranma didn't answer she turned
her face towards him, continuing, "That last month on Earth, Balder,
the... the Fight?"
Ranma's concentration was plain on his face during her speech, as he
struggled to remember the events Belldandy mentioned, without much
success. Finally, when the goddess mentioned a fight, Ranma's eyes
flashed with recognition.
"Wait... I remember somethin' about a fight. I was there, and so were
you an' Akane, and that sister of yours, and... an' I don't wanna talk
about it," Ranma finished with a tone of sadness in his voice.
Belddandy's sad expression matched his own, as she answered, "This is
one of the reasons things can never be the same again, Ranma. I was a
fool for daring to believe in that."
"But that's just a fight!" Ranma yelled, frustrated. "I don't even
remember who started it! And it's obvious your side won! Why do they
continue to hold a grudge against me for so long? I mean, c'mon, it was
centuries ago!"
"Ranma... a lot of people died..."
"People always die! No one's immortal, not even us! Not to mention that
I remember a lot of your gods killing humans right and left!" Ranma
shouted, before calming down somewhat. "Besides, I don't remember
killin' no one, so how could this be my fault?"
Suddenly suspicious of something, he asked worriedly, "Wait... did we...
did I kill someone?"
Belldandy hung her head, hating herself for what she was about to say.
"Ranma... There's no easy way of saying it, but the reason the Norse
gods were all fighting against you was that you tried to cause
Ragnarok..."
Ranma had a sinking suspicion that this wasn't good, but for the life of
him he didn't remember the Norse myths as well as his native ones.
Seeing the confused look on his face, Belldandy decided to explain the
concept to him. With a shaky voice, she said, "Ragnarok is the end of
everything. All of the gods die in the all-out battle with the ice
giants, and Earth and Heavens freeze over. A new ice age starts on the
planet, with nothing living surviving."
"You're kiddin', right? Right?" Ranma pleaded with her, desperate to
hear that he'd misunderstood her somehow, hoping that this was all a
cruel and twisted joke she'd decided to play on him for some reason.
Belldandy shook her head slowly, her thoughts mirroring Ranma's own.
"But at least I didn't cause it, since we're all alive an' all," Ranma
reasoned. "Isn't there some way I can make up for what happened?"
"Ranma... the prophecy is fulfilling itself. The events your actions set
in motion.... There's no question now of whether Ragnarok will ever take
place, but rather when," Belldandy said dejectedly.
"Then I guess your side wants to do more than just capture me, doesn't
it?" Ranma spoke finally, in a resigned tone of voice.
Unable to speak, the goddess nodded.
"I understand. Belldandy, if I come freely... is there some way to save
Akane?" he asked, hopeful.
"N-No, Ranma. She's just as big a part of this as you are. There's
nothing I can do." Hanging her head and sighing, Belldandy added
quietly, "Even by just talking to you I'm committing treason."
Ranma sighed as well, staring into the distance.
"You know I'll protect her with my last breath, don't ya?"
Seeing the goddess nod briefly, he continued, more to himself than to
her.
"She's my angel... my responsibility... an' my best friend." Looking at
Belldandy once again, he added, "My best friend... just like you are,
Bell."
"I won't go through all this again, Ranma. I can't... can't fight
against you once more. Not after last time..."
"Then let's just get away from this all. Just the four of us - you, me,
Akane an' Holy Bell!" Ranma exclaimed, before managing a smile and
saying, "Don't worry, I'll make sure Akane won't mallet your angel
again."
Despite the mood she was in, Belldandy smiled at that.
In the meantime, Ranma continued, trying to sound as convincing as
possible. "Just give it a try! And who knows, maybe we'll be able to
come back one day..."
The Norn of the Present stood silently, contemplating the offer. Ranma
was right, it was the only way out. To stay meant to fight on one of the
sides, and she couldn't fight either her sisters or Ranma, past
experience had shown that quite clearly. She had been able to recover
from the experience somewhat, after a few centuries, but a second time
would definitely break her, the goddess knew that clearly.
"I... I have to think about this, Ranma," she finally said.
Seeing him nod in agreement, she asked, "Where could I reach you?"
Thinking about it for a few seconds, Ranma replied, "Meet me tomorrow at
dawn at the Storm God's shrine at Mt. Fuji."
"All right," Belldandy agreed. "Until then."
She started walking away in a search of another mirror, briefly glancing
at the shards on the ground mournfully.
"Here," Ranma said, offering Belldandy a small compact with a mirror.
Surprised, she couldn't get out anything past "How?"
Smiling, Ranma shrugged and said, "Hey, I just thought you might need
one, so I borrowed Akane's compact before going to meet ya, that's all."
"Thank you," Belldandy said, opening it, before grabbing Ranma in a
fierce hug, and whispering, "I'm so glad you're back."
"I'm glad to be back," Ranma replied, smirking.
Belldandy smiled, and before Ranma could do anything, she pecked him on
the cheek and disappeared through the mirror. The pigtailed boy touched
his flaming cheek, a goofy grin spreading on his face.
Nabiki mirrored Ranma's facial expression almost perfectly, albeit for
entirely different reasons. Yen signs danced all around her in perfect
harmony, some staying near the ground like pretty flowers, while others
flew in the air like majestic birds, chirping happily. Nabiki could've
sworn she'd even seen a Pegasus composed of yen signs, but she chalked
it down to her enthusiasm.
'Oh, happy day!'
The middle Tendo sister was using all of her self-control to prevent
herself from breaking into a small victory dance. The information she'd
gotten from listening in on the conversation between Ranma and that
goddess had been pure gold, and Nabiki could see herself selling it left
and right to everyone. Maybe she could even break all the information to
tiny bits, and charge for each one individually.
'Let's see now - Ranma's a demon, Akane's his angel, he has another
girlfriend, this one's a goddess, and they're all planning to elope.'
And the best part was that she'd gotten a lead on Ranma and Akane's
whereabouts! Life was good; if you were Nabiki Tendo, that is.
*****
Ryoga had been walking for the past hour, the conversation with the
goddesses still fresh in his mind.
'So, Ranma's a demon... I should've known that when the dream said he
worked for Hell...'
Scowling, the lost boy decided not to hold anything back when he next
met with the demon.
'The bastard cursed me... twice! And the second time, without even
trying! Unless... unless he cursed himself on purpose, playing tricks
with my head, just so he could strike!'
"Damn you, Ranma Saotome!"
Noticing that he had shouted the last sentence out loud, as well as the
stares several people on the street were giving him, Ryoga laughed
nervously and left hurriedly in another direction. Once he'd put enough
distance between the onlookers and himself, his thoughts turned dark
once again.
'Misery and despair, that's what you left me with, Ranma. Ironically,
embracing them will give me the power to destroy you. Enjoy your life
while you still can, Ranma, because when we'll meet again, only one of
us will leave...'
Glancing at the pink heart-shaped amulet clutched in his left hand, more
out of embarrassment than actual protection, Ryoga hoped the damn thing
wasn't broken. Those goddesses said Ranma'd left Nerima, right?
* * *
"RANMA! Because of you, I've seen Hell!" Ryoga shouted at his arch-
rival, finally stumbling onto him in a side street.
Turning around slowly, Ranma smiled at Ryoga, a smile that made the lost
boy extremely nervous.
"Hell, you say? Do you know what it's like to truly see Hell? Well, do
you?!" All signs of humor left Ranma's eyes at that moment, as she
continued in a cold voice "I don't want to fight you, Ryoga. Just walk
away."
Pressing the button on his communicator that would summon the goddesses
to the area, Ryoga snarled, "Don't try to trick me, Demon! I'm going to
send you to where you belong!"
Ranma frowned at hearing this, knowing inside that there's no way he
would be able to leave without a fight. Trying one last time to avoid
it, he said in the most menacing voice he could muster.
"You talk about Hell a lot, Pig Boy. Would you like to visit it
personally?" Ranma's eyes narrowed to slits at that point. "Because that
could be arranged."
Ryoga took an involuntary step back, before strengthening his resolve
and shouting back, "I'm here to bring you down once and for all!"
As Ranma reluctantly took a ready stance, Ryoga shouted 'Ranma! Prepare
to Die!' and charged. A few steps before reaching the pigtailed martial
artist, he cupped his hands in front of him and shouted "Shi Shi
Hokodan!"
Hit with Ryoga's ki projectile at point blank, Ranma flew backwards to
crash into, and then through, a wall. Before Ryoga could celebrate his
victory, however, Ranma walked out of the wreckage, smirking.
"You'll have to try better to do me in, P-Chan."
"Don't call me P-Chan!" Ryoga yelled, charging the infuriating demon.
Hundreds of punches flew at Ranma in the space of seconds, coming close
to the speed of the Amaguriken technique. Unlike Ranma, each punch
carried enough strength to cave a normal person's skull in.
For almost half a minute, nothing could be heard because of the
miniature sonic booms, as Ryoga's hands occasionally broke the sound
barrier. Eventually, Ryoga jumped back, exhausted. Glancing back at what
should have been by all means a bloody pulp, Ryoga gasped as he saw the
arrogant smirk on Ranma's face.
"You've gotten better, Porky," the demon said, approaching Ryoga at a
leisurely pace. "That means you must've gotten help, somehow. After all,
you only have an advantage when someone hands you some 'invincible'
technique, right?" The last part was practically sneered by Ranma, and
the pigtailed martial artist's every word ignited a thousand fires in
Ryoga's soul.
"Just DIE! Bakusai Tenketsu!"
Ryoga leaped from the erupting pile of rock, having recovered from the
intense drain of the speed technique. 'I still have enough for one more
try, two if I put all of my energy into it. Damn, I should've waited for
those goddesses.'
"Thinking about your funeral, P-Chan?" Ranma laughed, taunting Ryoga
after seeing the downcast look on his face. "Don't worry, there won't be
left enough of you to bury."
Ranma took to the sky, intending to attack Ryoga from above. The lost
boy snarled, and pulled out several bandannas. Twirling them as fast as
he could, he charged them with enough ki to encourage Ranma dodge them
in mid-air, which would put him exactly where Ryoga wanted. Letting them
go, the lost boy jumped to meet Ranma's charge, feinting to the left at
the last possible moment in an impressive feat of acrobatics and
slapping his belt around Ranma's waist.
As confusion showed clearly on Ranma's face, Ryoga launched into his
newfound special attack. Hitting Ranma all over his body, Ryoga mentally
thanked whatever Kami who might be listening that he didn't have to
shout the name of the attack, announcing it.
Scoring almost a thousand solid hits on Ranma, Ryoga finally landed on
the ground shakily, falling on one knee. 'I think I was mistaken earlier
about launching two attacks like this. Maybe it's because of all the ki
boosts I used in the fight...'
Ryoga's thoughts trailed off as the cloud of debris caused by Ranma's
body hitting the ground cleared somewhat. Something was still moving
inside! Shakily drawing himself to his full height, Ryoga stood wearily,
looking at the moving form.
Suddenly, hurricane winds blew away the dust, seemingly originating from
the ground. Ryoga's heart stopped for a moment as he saw his arch-rival,
dressed in a black version of his Chinese outfit float in the eye of the
storm, with twin slash marks appearing on his forehead, and the red mark
on his chest pulsating wildly with an eerie light.
"Well done, Hibiki," Ranma said evenly. "I've underestimated you, and
paid the price. It's not the first time you've managed to surprise me
like this, but it'll be your last!"
Ranma raised his hands, and strong winds grabbed Ryoga and pulled him
high into the air. The lost boy looked in fright, as his arch-rival
started chanting something, the howling of the winds making it almost
impossible to hear.
Dark clouds started gathering all around Ryoga, obscuring him from sight
from all directions. As the final words of the spell were spoken,
lightning shot from the sky, piercing the clouds. The sky cleared, the
winds gone to the place they came from and Ranma landed on the ground
gracefully. Frowning at the smell of ozone in the air, he went over to a
small puddle in which a black piglet lay charred, unconscious.
'Sorry P-Chan.'
Ranma sighed, looking at his friend.
'You can't blame me for everything, but you can blame me for this. At
least this way you'll be out of harm's way as long as you don't get
mistaken for somebody's dinner.'
The demon stood a few moments in silence.
"Oh, well." Ranma shook his head in sadness, saying to himself, "One
good thing did come out of all this. He won't try to kill me no more."
Having noticed his clothes revert to his usual Chinese outfit and the
tattoos on his forehead disappear, Ranma muttered 'very cool'.
Afterwards, he walked over to stand under a downpour from a water main
that had been broken during their fight, figuring that the fight
might've drawn some unwanted attention from the goddesses, and that it
was time to use his disguise. As the water cascaded down her back, Ranma
wondered where she could find Akane, and disappeared from the deserted
street.
A few seconds later two goddesses emerged from the same spot Ranma had
just used to escape. Looking around, the smaller one took out a stick
and started pointing it at every direction. When the device beeped,
Skuld turned towards her companion and said, "Urd, I'm getting something
from that bearing."
Walking in the direction specified by Skuld, the goddesses soon found an
unconscious black piglet lying in a puddle.
"This is what your stupid device found? A pig?" Urd asked, annoyed.
Looking closely at the pig's prone form, and noticing the bandanna on
its head, Skuld exclaimed, "No, it's Ryoga! Ranma must have triggered
his curse and escaped!"
Urd looked between her sister and the piglet, before erupting in
laughter. "So _this_ is the curse Ranma gave his family! Amazing! I love
his style."
Skuld grimaced, but decided to explain. "No, the curse Ranma gave the
Hibiki family is a directional one. This one is specific to Ryoga. I
don't know how he got it, although he did say that _everything_ was
Ranma's fault..."
"Well, no time for that now," Urd interjected. "Let's change him back.
Jusenkyo cursed are affected by hot and cold water, so if we just splash
him..."
By that point Skuld had already taken a thermos out of her shirt pocket,
and splashed the piglet. The scalding water did nothing but wake Ryoga,
who squealed in protest, before realizing that he was still a pig.
"This... might be a problem," Skuld said, frowning.
*****
End of Chapter 4.